When an outboard motor is placed on a small boat and the boat is propelled forwardly under the influence of the motor, the stern of the boat has a tendency to sink lower into the water so that the bow rises accordingly. This condition is generally undesirable because the boat pitches as the bow continues to try to descend after it has been elevated. The ride in the boat becomes uncomfortable and stability is reduced.
This problem is especially evident with the use of an outboard motor on a collapsible boat of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,482,368. This type of boat has a number of hingedly interconnected panels which move from side-by-side, collapsed positions to expanded positions in which the bottom of the boat is formed by a first pair of panels and the sides are formed by a second pair of sides. Such a boat is lightweight in construction and is easily expanded into its operational condition by one person. Attaching an outboard motor to such a boat gives good results except that a motor weighing in excess of about 30 pounds, such as a motor of 4.0 hp rating or above, typically is too large for use with the boat because of the problem mentioned above, especially if only one person is seated in the rear of the boat.
Because of such problem, a need exists for structure to be added to the boat to substantially eliminate the problem and thereby allow the boat to be used at desired speeds safely and comfortably. Prior art includes Canadian Pat. No. 940389.